Freelancing has become increasingly popular in the digital age as more people are looking for ways to earn side income beyond their traditional 9 to 5 jobs. However, finding freelance work can be challenging as it requires identifying potential clients, bidding on projects, and negotiating rates.
If that sounds like a lot of work on top of your existing job, you’re not alone!
Fortunately, this is where freelance marketplaces come in. For freelancers, online marketplaces offer a place to showcase their skills, connect with potential clients and secure work opportunities.
Freelance websites offer projects for a variety of services from marketing to art, coding, design, writing and more. In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 freelance marketplace websites for freelance digital marketers in no particular order. We take a look at each freelance marketplace’s features and how they can help freelance digital marketers find work opportunities.
#1 Upwork
Upwork is one of the largest and most popular freelance marketplaces in the world. Used by renowned global brands like Microsoft and Airbnb, Upwork’s promise to freelancers is the ability to find opportunities at every stage of your freelance career whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
How Upwork Works
A budding freelance digital marketer can join Upwork and create an account for free. Instead of charging a subscription fee to use the platform, Upwork charges a sliding service fee ranging from 5% to 20% based on your total lifetime billing with a client. Once you’ve completed your profile, you can indicate if you’re open to work or apply for projects put up by businesses.
Upwork features a user-friendly interface that allows businesses to post job openings and connect with freelancers who meet their project needs. Clients can see a freelancer’s work history on the platform, browse work samples and read reviews. Freelancers also have a Success Score which measures clients’ satisfaction with the freelancer’s work history. Freelancers can also rate clients, so you’ll be able to identify which clients are easy to work with.
Finally, Upwork has its own time tracking, messaging and invoicing tool so all project-related communication can be conducted on the platform. Excellent for freelancers looking to stay organised!
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Upwork
Upwork offers a wide range of jobs for the freelance digital marketer. There are over 1,000 postings (at the time of writing), and a quick search of digital marketing jobs on Upwork features tags like social media management, search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing, and more. It’s easy to find jobs for your digital marketing speciality with the tags.
Payment Model
Upwork allows businesses to pay freelancers on an hourly or fixed-price basis. This provides flexibility for businesses or freelancers to choose the payment model that works best for their needs. The platform allows multiple modes of payment including direct deposit, PayPal, and wire transfer.
As for how payment is handled, Upwork takes the payment from the client and holds it on the freelancer’s behalf. Once the client has approved a freelancer’s work, the payment is automatically processed. Freelancers can choose to withdraw their earnings at any time.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Upwork Suitable For?
Upwork is suitable for freelance digital marketers of all levels whether you’re looking for your first client or a seasoned professional with multiple projects under your belt. The platform has a large user base from all over the world with a diverse range of digital marketing projects available.
Many of the jobs on Upwork are longer-term arrangements lasting a few months, and even one-time projects can potentially lead to ongoing arrangements. In general, you’ll find more success specialising and creating a strong digital marketing portfolio on Upwork as entry-level jobs can be very competitive.
Lastly, Upwork’s communication and invoicing tools streamline the administrative chores in a project, leaving freelancers free to focus on their work.
#2 Fiverr
If you’ve ever thought about engaging a freelancer for yourself or an organisation, then you’ve probably heard of Fiverr. Fiverr is a well-known freelance marketplace that connects businesses with freelance professionals offering a diverse variety of services.
How Fiverr Works
Fiverr operates on a gig-based system. Freelancers offer their services in the form of pre-packaged gigs that clients can browse to find one that meets their project needs. Alternatively, clients can also post a special gig request if none of the pre-packaged gigs meets their needs.
Creating an account on Fiverr is easy and free. Once you create an account, simply click on “Become a Seller” and the platform will take you through a guided process to create your profile. Once your profile is created, you’re free to create a gig and publish it.
Freelancers on Fiverr are ranked by levels: Level 1, Level 2 and Pro. You level up by completing a certain number of orders on time with a minimum rating. While browsing, clients can see each freelancer’s level, average rating and the number of projects they’ve completed.
Lastly, the Fiverr platform has a project management interface when a job is started so both client and freelancer can communicate and track the progress of the job.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Fiverr
Fiverr offers a diverse range of digital marketing services from social media marketing to SEO, SEM, content marketing and more. No matter your speciality, there’s surely a section for you to post your services!
Fiverr’s digital marketing service options are extremely detailed. A freelance digital marketer will even be able to specify which service within their speciality they want to provide. For example, social media marketers can offer social media management, profile setup and integration, paid social media campaigns or social media strategy. SEO specialists can specify if they excel in on-page SEO, technical SEO, competitor analysis or even offer the full SEO package.
As a freelance digital marketer, you’ll be able to offer pre-packaged services in multiple skills. For example, you can offer both social media marketing services and content writing services at the same time.
Payment Model
Freelancers on Fiverr create pre-packaged services and set their own prices based on their estimations of the level of expertise and time required to complete the project. This makes payment straightforward and easy as the client simply pays the quoted rate.
As for service fees, Fiverr operates on a commission-based payment model. Freelancers receive 80% of the payment for completing gigs, while Fiverr gets the remaining 20% cut as a service fee. Clients are required to pay upfront for services, and payment is released to the freelancer once the client approves the completed work.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Fiverr Suitable For?
Fiverr’s beginner-friendly interface and straightforward gig model make it an ideal choice for the freelance digital marketer who is just starting out in the industry. Without prior experience, new freelance digital marketers often find it challenging to price their services with hourly rates, so the option to offer pre-packaged services makes it easier to get started.
New freelance digital marketers will also appreciate the quick payments on Fiverr as they handle the invoicing and transfer the amount as soon as you complete the gig. This helps to alleviate any anxiety over payment.
In conclusion, Fiverr’s model of pre-packaged services and automated invoices make it an excellent choice for the new freelance digital marketer. It’s also a great option for freelance digital marketers who are looking for short-term, low-commitment gigs.
#3 Freelancer
Freelancer is an online platform with over 50 million registered users that connects businesses with freelancers from all over the world. The platform offers freelance services in software development, writing, data entry, graphic design and of course, digital marketing.
How Freelancer Works
Freelancer uses a project bidding system where freelancers bid on individual projects posted by clients. Clients can review a freelancer’s profile, work history and proposal before deciding whether to accept or reject a bid.
Freelancer is free to sign up, and you can start bidding for projects once you’ve completed your profile and gone through verification. All payments, client communications and project management are handled within the site, which makes it convenient and fuss-free for both parties.
Finally, Freelancer also has a unique “Contests” feature where clients post an open project to receive a variety of submissions. From the submissions, they may choose a winner or multiple winners to purchase their work.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Freelancer
The main fields of digital marketing featured on the Freelancer platform are social media marketing, content marketing and SEO. A digital marketing freelancer can find jobs related to social media management and advertising, blog writing and technical SEO.
Payment Model
Freelancer offers three types of payment options: milestones, hourly and fixed price.
Milestone payments allow clients to set milestones on a project and make partial payments as work is completed. Hourly payments are for continuous work where the client pays the freelancer for the total hours of rendered work. Fixed price payments are agreed upon before the project is started and paid upon completion. for one-time fees for projects.
Freelancers on a free account are limited to bidding on up to six projects each month and enter unlimited contests. To bid for more projects, there is the option to sign up for a membership plan — the most basic one costs $7.95 per month for up to 50 bids.
If you are awarded a project on Freelancer, the platform also takes a commission from your earnings. The commission rate scales according to your membership status.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Freelancer Suitable For?
Freelancer is an ideal platform for the freelance digital marketer who is selective about the projects they take and prefers to have more control over their pricing and workload. However, the competitive nature of the bidding process and complicated membership tiers make it unsuitable for new freelance digital marketers. It will be tough to successfully bid on projects without a strong portfolio, while the platform’s membership subscription costs and fee structure can be a significant barrier to entry.
#4 MarketerHire
Unlike the other freelance marketplaces on this list which focuses on hiring freelancers offering a variety of services, MarketerHire is laser-focused on digital marketers. Launched in 2018, MarketerHire aims to streamline the hiring process for its clients in the various fields of digital marketing by providing a curated pool of highly skilled freelance digital marketers. The platform’s services have been used by some of the world’s top companies including Netflix, Forbes, BuzzFeed and more.
How MarketerHire Works
MarketerHire operates on a project-based model. Businesses fill up a form describing their project and the specific skills they require. This also includes details like budget, the length of the marketing service, as well as if the client is looking to hire a single person or a team. From there, the MarketerHire team matches the client with pre-vetted freelance digital marketer candidates.
Applying to join the MarketerHire network is free, but you’ll need to pass an initial screening and interview with the MarketerHire team. Once you’re in, you can create your MarketerHire profile and the platform’s AI will match you with the roles best suited to your expertise (think Tinder for freelance digital marketers and clients). According to MarketerHire, this matching technology means freelancers no longer need to wade through job posts or compete with other marketers for a role.
Lastly, the biggest selling point behind MarkterHire is its ability to help freelancers with client finding, communication, expectation setting, dispute and payment management. This leaves freelance digital marketers free to focus on their work while the platform does all the legwork.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on MarketerHire
As a specialist platform for freelance digital marketers, jobs on MarketerHire cover every digital marketing specialisation you can think of. Some of the freelance roles available include:
- Amazon Marketer
- Brand Marketer
- Content Marketer
- Email Marketer
- Fractional CMO
- Growth Marketer
- Marketing Analyst
- Paid Search Marketer
- Paid Social Expert
- Programmatic Marketer
- SEO Marketer
- Social Media Manager
Payment Model
MarketerHire operates on a project-based payment model, where freelancers are paid upon the completion of a project or milestone.
The platform charges a commission ranging from 10% to 20% of the total project value. Commission rates are higher for short-term projects and lower for long-term projects.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is MarketerHire Suitable For?
MarketerHire is ideal for experienced and highly skilled digital marketers who specialise in a specific digital marketing niche.
The platform’s vetting process ensures that only the best freelancers are accepted, making it an excellent option for businesses looking to hire top-tier talent. At the same time, freelancers are guaranteed a pool of committed, high-quality clients to choose from. MarketerHire is also an excellent option for freelancers who are looking to work on larger projects or retainer-based work with businesses.
#5 Guru
Guru is a freelance marketplace platform with over 3 million users that promises four key benefits: An easy system to work with, the lowest fees in the freelance marketplace industry, secure payments and 24/7 support. That’s an impressive list! Let’s see if they match up to their claims Certainly a lot of bold claims, let’s see if they match up.
How Guru Works
Guru uses a project-based approach where clients post job listings and freelancers apply to work on the project. Clients can also approach freelancers directly and review their profiles. A profile will display the freelancer’s skills, services and rates offered, portfolio of work, and details such as the number of jobs completed and the freelancer’s total earnings on the platform.
It’s free to create an account, and you can start bidding on jobs once you have your portfolio set up. Free accounts are limited to 10 bids a month while paid accounts can have up to 50 bids. Guru recommends freelancers who are just starting out to subscribe to their free Basic or starter Basic+ membership plan.
Like most of the other freelance marketplaces on this list, Guru also provides their own project tracking tool so clients and freelancers can handle communication and payment on the site.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Guru
Guru offers a wide range of digital marketing services. Broadly, the platform categorises digital marketing topics as web/digital marketing, general marketing, advertising campaigns and collateral, data analysis and strategy, content and copywriting as well as industry-specific expertise.
A freelance digital marketer can indicate their fields of speciality such as SEO or social media, or drill down to a specific platform such as Facebook Advertising Expert, Google Analytics Expert, LinkedIn Ad Expert, Blog Managers and more.
Payment Model
Guru operates on a project-based payment model, where freelancers are paid upon the completion of a project or milestone. The platform charges a commission fee for their services on every paid invoice. The commission fee ranges from 5% for Executive members to 9% for Basic members. Membership subscriptions range from $11.95/mth for the most basic tier to $49.95/mth for the executive tier.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Guru Suitable For?
Guru is suitable for freelancers of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced professionals. Beginners can start with a free or basic account, and progress to higher membership tiers to bid for bigger projects as their portfolio grows.
The platform’s wide range of digital marketing services makes it an excellent option for freelance digital marketers with varying skills and specialities.
#6 PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a UK-based freelance marketplace that connects businesses with global freelancers. Launched in 2007, the website is rated 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 4,000 reviews from Trustpilot. According to PeoplePerHour, over 1 million businesses worldwide use their website.
How PeoplePerHour Works
PeoplePerHour works on a project-based model. Businesses can either post projects and review proposals from freelancers, or browse freelancer profiles and service packages to find a suitable person. The website offers a variety of communication and project management tools to help businesses and freelancers collaborate effectively.
Creating an account is free, but you’ll need to be approved by the website’s moderation team in order to become part of the PeoplePerHour freelancer community. From here, you can start bidding for projects or offer your own service packages similar to Fiverr.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on PeoplePerHour
Compared to other freelance marketplace platforms, PeoplePerHour actually offers a robust and comprehensive range of digital marketing services. The range of digital marketing services on offer includes SEM, SEO, web analytics, conversion optimisation, content marketing, email marketing, growth hacking, e-commerce marketing, affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, video marketing and mobile marketing.
A freelance digital marketer on PeoplePerHour can choose to offer his or her services in one or multiple of these specialties.
Payment Model
Freelancers on PeoplePerHour are paid upon the completion of a project or milestone. The platform uses an Escrow system where they collect payments from clients up front, and release payments to freelancers once the project or milestone has been approved.
PeoplePerHour charges a service fee on freelancers’ earnings. This ranges from 3.5% to 20% depending on a freelancer’s lifetime billing with the buyer.
- Over £5000-lifetime billing per buyer: 3.5% (excl. VAT) service fee
- Between £250 and £5000-lifetime billing per buyer: 7.5% (excl. VAT) service fee
- Below £250-lifetime billing per buyer: 20% (excl. VAT) service fee
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is PeoplePerHour Suitable For?
With its low barrier to entry, user-friendly interface and project management tools, PeoplePerHour is suitable for freelancers of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced professionals. The platform’s wide range of digital marketing services makes it an excellent option for freelancers with varying skills and specialities.
#7 Hire Digital
Hire Digital is a freelance marketplace for services related to software development, design and digital marketing. The platform provides on-demand, pre-vetted talent and caters to businesses and freelancers all around the world. Hire Digital’s customers include brands like Standard Chartered, Grab, Samsung, Shopify, 3M and more.
How Hire Digital Works
Hire Digital offers project-based, full-time and part-time work arrangements. Clients post their project requirements and can either receive proposals or invite pre-vetted freelancers to work on the project. The platform also does its best to match talents with the right engagements. Hire Digital’s promise towards businesses is its ability to help them build on-demand teams, which offer a flexible way to build and scale a team with the right skills across multiple functions.
Freelancers looking to work on Hire Digital can send in their applications to be reviewed by the platform’s recruitment team. From there, an interview will be scheduled and the freelancer will be invited to join Hire Digital if their application is successful. There is no application fee.
Freelancers that make the cut will be onboarded with a talent coordinator who will guide them through the onboarding process. Once they’re ready to start, the freelancer will receive email invites to suitable engagements that match their profile. Freelancers are free to set their own rates and will be paid via their bank account through Transferwise or PayPal.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Hire Digital
As one of its three main domains, digital marketing services on Hire Digital are extremely broad and comprehensive. This is great news for the freelance digital marketer since it means more opportunities to find work related to your niche.
Hire Digital splits its digital marketing categories as follows:
- SEO and SEM
- B2C Marketers
- B2B Marketers
- E-commerce
This breaks down further into specialised roles within each category such as On-page SEO experts, Facebook Ads Experts, Google Ads Experts and more. The full list can be found here.
Payment Model
Hire Digital offers both hourly and fixed-price projects, depending on the needs and preferences of the business. The platform charges a commission on top of the freelancer’s fee, with rates varying depending on the project value.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Hire Digital Suitable For?
Hire Digital’s rigorous screening, strict recruitment process and emphasis on talent with domain expertise mean it is more suited for the experienced freelance digital marketer with a strong portfolio and demonstrated track record of results.
The platform is especially useful for freelancers who are looking for higher-paying projects, as the clients tend to be more established than other freelance marketplaces.
#8 LinkedIn Services
LinkedIn Services is a freelance marketplace that is built into LinkedIn. The website connects businesses with freelancers for a range of services such as graphic design, accounting, public relations, development, law and digital marketing.
How LinkedIn Services Works
On LinkedIn Services, clients can find freelancers (called service providers on LinkedIn) with skills relevant to their project. The general process is as follows:
- The client searches for a provider on LinkedIn using the Services Marketplace.
- The client reviews the freelancer’s Service Page to determine if they are the right fit.
- The client submits a project request (request for proposal) to the freelancer
- The freelancer responds with a proposal to express interest in the project.
- If the client receives a desirable proposal, the client and the freelancer agree on the terms and the freelancer completes the work.
- Payment for project completion happens through the freelancer’s preferred process outside of LinkedIn.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on LinkedIn Services
LinkedIn Services has over 2 million digital marketing providers and features the following services:
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Growth Marketing
- Lead Generation
- Mobile Marketing
- Performance Marketing
- SEM
- SEO
- Social Media Marketing
Payment Model
Unlike other freelance marketing platforms, LinkedIn Services does not handle invoicing and payment between clients and freelancers. Instead, freelancers are free to set their own prices and follow their own processes for the project. Because LinkedIn Services only facilitates the connection between the client and the freelancer, no commission or service fees are involved.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is LinkedIn Services Suitable For?
LinkedIn freelance services are suitable for freelance digital marketers with an established reputation, rates and processes. It can also appeal to freelance digital marketers who prefer to stick to one professional platform and avoid the hassle of managing multiple accounts on multiple freelance marketplaces.
#9 Glance
Glance is a creative and digital freelancer matching platform for local businesses and talents in Singapore. Unlike the other freelance marketplaces on this list that cater to a global clientele and talent pool, Glance is focused on the Singapore market. The platform is a student-run and venture-backed startup supported by Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic, Pollinate Incubator and National Youth Council.
How Glance Works
Glance works on a project basis. Businesses post jobs on a board and freelancers can apply for the jobs posted. When a freelancer applies, the business reviews their offer and profile to select the best fit.
Businesses set a one-time project fee for the services they are seeking, and freelancers are free to offer an alternative price or accept the stated fee. At the time of writing, there are over 6,000 talents registered on Glance, 300 companies on the platform as well as over 500 projects posted.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Glance
There is a wide range of digital marketing jobs available for the freelance digital marketer on Glance. Specialisations on offer include Social Media Advertising, SEO, Content Marketing, TikTok Advertising as well as Web Analytics and Traffic.
With a good mix of general and platform-specific digital marketing services available, freelance digital marketers can choose to specialise in a niche or offer multiple services.
Payment Model
Glance primarily acts as a payment intermediary Following confirmation of the agreement between a seller and buyer over services, Glance will hold on to any fees to be paid to the seller by the buyer, and only release the fees to the seller when it deems appropriate to.
Freelancers are required to link a Stripe account to the platform, which is how Glance conducts payment.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Glance Suitable For?
Glance is suitable for young freelance digital marketers who are just starting out. The localised approach of the platform makes it ideal for students or youths who are exploring their potential and want to try their hand at freelancing — but may not feel like they have the experience to compete on global platforms.
Jobs on Glance are typically small, one-time projects from SMEs and local businesses offering modest sums.
#10 Link-able
Link-able is a freelance marketplace that focuses on connecting businesses with SEO and content marketing professionals. The idea behind Link-able is for businesses to work with a wide variety of freelancers to effectively grow their organic website traffic over time without having to dedicate resources towards an in-house team.
How Link-able Works
Link-able uses a project-based model where businesses post jobs on the platform and receive proposals from qualified freelancers. The platform vets all freelance applications according to their author requirements.
According to Link-able, it looks for freelancers who are:
- Speak, read and write in fluent/native English
- Have exceptional writing skills
- Have experience/knowledge with the topics they write about
- Must have at least 3 different writing samples
- Must have sufficient knowledge of SEO and link building
If your application meets their requirements, Link-able will contact you to schedule an interview.
Types of Digital Marketing Jobs on Link-able
Link-able focuses on SEO and content marketing, so the types of digital marketing jobs available on the platform are related to content creation and promotion. This includes jobs like link building, blog post writing, guest blogging, content strategy development, and content promotion.
Payment Model
Link-able is unique because it does not impose a service fee or take a commission on projects. Instead, the platform charges a monthly membership fee to both businesses and freelancers. Businesses can choose between three membership levels, ranging from $19 to $249 per month, while freelancers pay a flat fee of $14.99 per month.
What Kind of Freelance Digital Marketer is Link-able Suitable For?
Link-able is a good fit for freelance content marketing professionals who are looking for long-term projects and clients. The platform’s focus on SEO and content marketing also makes it a great option for freelancers with experience in either field.
Overall, Link-able provides a unique approach to freelance marketplaces by focusing on a specific niche within digital marketing and offering a subscription-based model instead of a commission-based one.
Recap
No matter where you’re at in your freelance digital marketing career, there is a wide range of choices available for you! When choosing a freelance marketplace, consider how each platform’s business model, fee structure and ability to cater to your level of experience.
The ideal freelance marketplace is one with a feature set that supports your side hustle goals. This includes features project tracking tools or automatic invoicing and payment.
| Platform | Business Model | Fee Structure | Suitable For |
| Upwork | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | 5% to 20% service fee based on lifetime billing with client | Freelance digital marketers of all skill levels |
| Fiverr | Freelancers offer pre-packaged gigs | 20% platform commission for all completed projects | New freelance digital marketers or freelancers looking for short-term gigs |
| Freelancer | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | Scaling commission rate based on membership plan | Experienced freelance digital marketers with strong portfolios |
| MarketerHire | Platform matches clients with freelancers | 10 to 20% commission based on the type of project | Experienced freelance digital marketers that specialise in a particular niche |
| Guru | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | 5% to 9% commission on every invoice based on membership tier and $11.95/mth to $49.95/mth for membership. | Freelance digital marketers of all skills levels |
| PeoplePerHour | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | 3.5% to 20% service fee based on the freelancer’s lifetime billing with the client | Freelance digital marketers of all skills levels |
| Hire Digital | Platform matches clients with freelancers | Scaling commission rate based on project value | Experienced freelance digital marketers with strong portfolios |
| LinkedIn Services | Client approaches freelancers to submit proposals for projects | None. Payment is handled by the client and freelancer | Freelance digital marketers with established reputation, rates and processes |
| Glance | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | Platform charges a handling fee for holding payment between client and freelancer | Young freelance digital marketers building local experience |
| Link-able | Freelancers bid on projects posted by clients | Flat membership fee of $14.99/mth for freelancers | Freelance SEO Specialists and Content Marketers |
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Read also:
- How to Make Digital Marketing Your Side Hustle
- 10 Best Side Hustle Ideas in Singapore to Make Extra Money
- How to Become a Freelance Digital Marketer in Singapore
